Rumination!

     Ha! There's a word for it. The word "rumination" refers to the act of constantly thinking negative thoughts to the point of not being able to focus on a solution to whatever it was that had the person thinking negatively in the first place. The act of ruminating, over and over again actually causes and/or leads directly to depression and anxiety in some people. There are a number of articles on the matter, I only brought the subject up because I don't actually tend to ruminate, but I guessed correctly, that if someone did spend an inordinate amount of their time thinking negatively, there must be either a diagnosis for it, and at least a name for the action. 

    A person who overeats all the time is a glutton. A person who won't stop blaming others for things they themselves do is transferring. I love words, so I said to myself, I think there has to be a name for this particular action. If there is a name for it, there must also be a cure for it; something to counter the very action(s) that cause a person to be so damned harmful to themselves.

    I've just never been a depressed person. I've never been an anxious person. I don't ruminate on a usual or daily basis. I don't tend to transfer my thoughts of what I'm actually doing onto someone else so I can then blame that person for my own downfall; no, I tend to raise my own hand and own my own mistakes.  Have I ever been sad or depressed? Sure I have. I have been scared and anxious, but I am not going to stay that way. It's dangerous and I know it is.

     The reason I'm able to say I'm not really ever depressed or anxious should be quite obvious to anyone who knows me. I am a born-again Christian, and from a very very early age, I learned two facts: (1) Jesus loves me and (2) He can't lie.  If He loves me, and He does, He keeps me.  He protects me. He lets me make mistakes, but that's where the second fact comes into play. He promised me that He would show me a way to get out of whatever it is I have found myself in; or involved with.

    Jesus is a Way Maker. That's what and who He is. We don't have to worry about anything, literally anything at all. He will find someone to help and He will do so because He promised He would do so. If His Word commands us to leave every one of our burdens at His feet - - then it's every burden, not 68% of them. We can leave the big things of course, but we can leave the smaller things as well.

    To constantly say you're doomed, or nothing ever goes your way, is just pathetic and it's actually a sin if you're a Christian. No, people don't want to hear that. They don't want to hear that being immoral, unethical, or overly dramatic is a sin, but it is. When we don't wait on God, when we don't pray to Him for guidance, and then we (for some dumb reason) think things will work out, we're losing the very power He instilled in us from the day we accepted His power and salvation.

     It's a sin to keep things from Him. It's a sin to think we can do it all on our own without His help. It's literally a sin when we worry because He promised us that nothing was impossible for us through Him, but we do have to ASK. We can't expect Him to give us anything if we don't at least have the withal to ask for it. We have NOT because we ask NOT, but if we ask, He is faithful to give according to His will. Don't go around thinking it's OK to ask for the winning lottery tickets; use your brain.

    Ruminating starts for whatever reason, but we can stop it. Ruminating destroys. Why would someone knowingly and voluntarily do it? Because it's become their second nature; even their first nature. It's controlled them. They've allowed it to control them. They can't trust themselves enough to trust God; if they are a Christian. If they aren't Christians, they're ruminating through the maker of all things negative, and that's Satan. Find Jesus. Who in their right mind wouldn't want peace? To say it's a no-brainer is easy for me; maybe because I've never gotten into the habit of allowing trash to ruin my spirit. No, I'm not LUCKY....I'm blessed.

    When someone says "Good luck" to me, I know they mean well, but it's not luck. Luck is strictly driven by chance, and that's hapless; it's not solid, it's not reality. Don't wish me anything; pray for me. Ask God to protect me, ask Him to protect yourself. Ask Him to show you the way, the truth, and the path that is best to take to get out from under the weight that you've created for yourself. If you've only experienced bad things in your life, stop all the things you're doing that cause that. If that means getting away from the very people who oppress you, get out from under them. MOVE...and be with Jesus; He will never oppress you. He will never tell you that you are worthless. He will never undermine you. He will only lift you. 

    Again, it's a no-brainer, but those who are swimming in the molasses can't understand that the One who walks on water and calms the seas is the same One who created all the stars and He knows each by their name. Never does a single sparrow fall that He is not made aware of it; He knows me. He loves me. He will always provide for me. I can't be sad. I can't be anxious. I can't be bitter, and I will not give the deceiver a foot-hold in my life; not if I can help it. 

    When God uses me to help others I thank Him because He's gonna turn around and use them to help someone else in ways I can't.  He's gonna use someone else to bless me in ways I can't help them maybe, but it sparks something in me to help others in ways that I can. Don't be bitter if He calls on you to help; raise your head, your hands, and your heart and thank Him for being able to serve! He asked you for your help!! The God of the entire universe asked you to assist!! Can you imagine? I hope to be so blessed over and over again. 

    When you think about ruminating -- and I hope you never do; refocus your thoughts on these two facts: (1) Jesus loves you enough to die for you and (2) He cannot lie. He promised eternal life to anyone (anyone) who will ASK for it. 

Photo Credit: Rogers Behavior Health

Bay Sorrel Ranch (Planning) Plotting.

     It's Friday, and it hasn't been the best of days so far. I've seen better, and I am hoping for better still.  When it rains it pours, and I really don't like it because it's affecting my desire to sit and write out these chapters. It's not really raining, but all the downpour seems to be coming from life and the lives surrounding those I love. I am not going to let it stop me though. What I have decided to do is to step back and plan the book before I write it. Ha! Can't stop me! Nope! I'll even use these little setbacks as stories in the book  - so there!

    I sat down just now and wrote out what I think or want to happen in the first eight chapters of the book. Each chapter ranges from 2000-3000 words, so that could be upwards of 20,000 words planned out already. The book will be around 83,000-86,000 words, so I'm already getting the thing mapped out and ready to be picked at and pulled apart.  I think writing out what I think should happen will lend a great deal of strength to what I actually write; sort of like a springboard if you will.

    This book is a dramatic book. It's a regular novel. You pick it up, you read it. It's not meant to be anything more than entertainment, except it will give a bit of personal insight and opinion of what I experienced when I owned and boarded horses.  The main character will be basically based on me, but I have personally never had the money or withal to actually buy a 100+ acre horse ranch, and my books aren't (at this time) selling well enough to do the whole self-employed thing. It may happen, but I'm not there yet.

    The first chapters deal with the character herself, Julianna Leigh Armstrong, who goes by Jule, and she's about 55 years old. She is a mother, a grandmother, a Blue-Star Mom; she's a Christian, she's a survivor, and she's been through a lot. I may add a few things about her marriage, but I may skim over it. It was too many years ago to matter. She's dogmatic, dedicated, determined, and devoted. She's enthusiastic and energetic, but she's also cautious. She doesn't believe everything anyone says, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Because of her years as an insurance fraud investigator, she tends to dig into matters where others would leave it to the experts. Jule notifies the experts and provides them with evidence.

    The next few chapters deal with the barn she buys, the ranch, the acreage, the two houses on the premises, and even the livestock left by the original owners. Some of the boarders feel they should have a claim to some things, and there's a bit of drama over that as well as the way Jule and her daughter decide to run their new ranch. Hangers-on will be asked to leave, and when it becomes apparent that Jule needs to express herself in ways that cannot be argued with; she finally gets her point across. 

    I think the book will be a good one. It's going to at least attempt to shake the mentality of some of the younger set today with their privileged life expectations and their devil-may-care attitudes. Jule was raised in a solid home with parents and grandparents who wouldn't tolerate children being mouthy. She has raised her own children to be respectful even if no one else around her demonstrates those traits. The book will deal with the haves and have-nots, and how some people treat others. It will deal with and examine the way many horse people treat other horse and non-horse people, as well as the way they treat livestock.

    All in all, "Bay Sorrel Ranch" will be a good project for me to write, whether or not it ends up being a good book for others to read. I hope it is; I know I usually like what I write, and really, if I think about it, I'm the only audience I really concern myself with when it comes to actually writing. I love that others want to read my books, but I have to like them before I publish them. It has my name on it!!

    

Photo Credit: Me.  (This is Levi. He's a Bay Quarter/Morgan)

Bay Sorrel Ranch. (It has Begun) Chapter One is Done.

      I'm not going to try and outdo myself on this one in terms of speed. I'll just write every day and whatever happens will happen. I'm in between jobs again, (it seems to be a pattern for 2023) and thought I would just sort of crank out another novel. This one is a drama. It's not associated with the others, it's just sort of loosely designed the same as "Edinburgh" in that the characters will be friends, and I'm again using my own friends as guinea pigs because they really don't mind, and they have such diverse ways, means, and mannerisms. I could write a book on each one of them if I wanted to. 

    In this book Jule Armstrong, a character based on myself, is an Insurance Adjuster, and an author. She's also the owner of a newly opened horse ranch in Oklahoma County, just before you cross the County lines of Canadian County and Kingfisher County. It's up there in the Cashion, Crescent, far west end of Piedmont sort of - - we call it "No Man's Land" but it is becoming more populated. It was once only cattle and wheat but today there are more housing developments. The ranch survived quite a bit (in the book) and will be reopened as both a barn to facilitate English and Western riders, but it also be my character's daughter's place of residence and employment. She will be a Mustang horse trainer, a former barrel racer, and pole bender who refuses to give lessons. We have a trainer at the barn to give lessons, but that's going to be part of the plot so I won't say too much today.

    Jule has three kids, and I have three kids. She's younger than me, and therefore, her children are a bit younger as well. Her son Ethan Alexander Armstrong is a military man. He's a career enlisted sort that moves up in rank and volunteers for several overseas missions. Her daughter Melora Grace Armstrong is determined, dogged, and trustworthy. She's the barrel racer and trainer. Her other daughter (unnamed as of this date) will be the younger, and the more worldly, the traveler, the other writer in the family. She may be married, or she may have kids. I have no idea. I'll figure it out as I go.

    Bay Sorrel Ranch is a drama novel. It takes place mainly in Oklahoma but has flashbacks to a time when the characters moved to Indiana, and there will be a few European events that the characters recall.  The drama is horse-related for the most part. If you've never been inside a fast-paced competitive horse barn, you may not realize how the amount of drama that takes place in one day could fill a few pages in anyone's book. Girls can be the worst of the worst to themselves, to their "friends" as well as to their opponents or competition. If you've seen "Mean Girls" with Lindsay Lohan, you'll understand a bit of it. Think Mean Girls meets Rodeo, and then throw in a bit of murder, mayhem, muscle, and music. That's the storyline of Bay Sorrel Ranch.

    The name, by the way, comes from a joke.  Years ago, I told my daughter Laura I was going to open up a Mustang rescue ranch and call it the Bay Sorrel Ranch since all the horses we seemed to find to rescue were either bay or sorrel in color. For years we only had bay or sorrel horses!  It's also fun to say it's the "BS" ranch...you know, it's sort of along those lines too. Things happen that NO ONE would believe, and everyone has to imagine because it's right in front of their faces; sometimes on camera. I'm having fun. I've written the first chapter tonight, and I'll write again tomorrow after I run a few errands before noon. I think if I had to think about it, I could be finished by my birthday, which is also my new character's birthday, November 22. She'll turn 55. Such a baby!

Photo Credit: Me. This is not ours, but she's bay.

    

Authorship. The Reasons.

     To be honest with you, and why would I not be honest, I don't write books for the money it may make me. I write books because I'm an author, and I'm an author because I write. I write because I think of things, and sometimes I decide to put these thoughts into the written word. I used to think that being an author was the ultimate profession, but have come to realize that being a successful author would be much more in line with those thoughts. I am an author. Whether I sell a book or not, I'm still just as much of an author as J.K. Rawlings, L. Frank Baum, or any of the Bronte sisters. I write, I publish, I'm an author.

    Today, as I have in the past, I received a royalty check for all the books I sold last month, and let me tell you - - I'm impressed! I sold a book. No, it's funny because as a writer or author, you may or may not sell something. Someone may or may not buy your work, and if they do you get paid, and if they don't you won't be paid, but it's OK. I am OK with not selling a single book, but I did in fact, sell a book. I literally have the books I've written printed and sent to me and I will in fact read my own books. I love my own books. I made these characters. I love my characters. I root for them. I hope things turn out for them, and it really is up to me whether or not things do turn out well for them. I can always crank out a sequel if I need to.

    When I dream I typically don't know I'm dreaming until something in the dream sparks a thought and I say to myself, "Oh wait...you're dreaming." Then, I can if I choose, change the dream right then and there. I can force an issue, force a conversation, I can even turn the bad guy (if there is one) into a bucket of water and toss it into the sea. I've done that. I've told the bad guys that I'll put them in pink tutus and make them dance for me...on a beehive. Yes, I really really can do that. What I can't do in my dreams is call someone. Not one phone has ever worked for me in my dreams; not one single time.

    I may not be a successful author, but I do receive emails quite often from people who claim to help authors become successful. Naturally, they do their magic only if I pay them. So far, I've declined.  What I will do in the near future, is to work with a woman I know is both ethical and moral. She's helped me in the past. I'll pay her of course, and she'll promote my books correctly. I've just never had the money to do it, and soon I will. There is another person, a man, who does a really good email outsourcing business for promotions of all types. You tell him your audience and the amount of money you can afford, and he throws a list together. He'll send the emails out, and show you that he did; which is 10x better than these companies who say they can't share the emails with you - - even if you paid to have the promotions sent. He will literally cc you on the email, so you know who received the promotional ad.

    Why write if it's not for money? There are a number of reasons, but the main one is that these characters stand in my brain and in my heart, literally tapping on the back of my eyeballs or pulling on my arteries to get my attention. I must tell their story. I must create it, work it, write it, publish it, and read it. They don't settle down until I do. To say I hear voices in my head would be accurate, but I don't think I'm crazy. They do tell me to kill, but they themselves only kill other fictional characters. No real person is ever in danger of the voices I continually communicate with. I could be in an argument with an employer and recess my mind to a happier time. I can also summon one of my killers to "off" the boss in a really gruesome manner just for the sake of getting the satisfaction of it all...again, let me state it plainly, no real person has or will be subjected to real harm. FICTION is marvelous. 

    I was once released from a job (well, put on suspension until there was an investigation, and then after the investigation I wasn't brought back) because I murdered someone in one of my blogs. Yep, the boss was THAT offended, but I did win the investigation and was paid for a full year's contract. Sorry, if that offends you that I said he was ignorant, but he was. The blog is fictional, the story was fictional, the characters were fictional, and I think inside the blog itself I mention that it is fake, not real, etc, about seven times. To top it off, I was a CREATIVE WRITING teacher!! Yes, yes, the irony, right?  Well, that story went into my FICTIONAL book "Edinburgh", because I couldn't laugh hard enough at the idiocy of some people. If you're going to hire a creative writing teacher she/he should be...you know, creative.

    I'm an author because I don't do micromanagement. I can do my job without anyone leaning over the top of their desk to see if I'm working. No, thank you. If someone feels that they didn't train me well enough to do my job, that's on them. If I have the training I'll be the best at whatever it is I was trained for. As an author, I'm the only one who ever judges me or critiques me. I don't ever, and I mean EVER, let someone tell me what or how to write. It simply will not happen. These are my people, my thoughts, my stories, my angles, my words, and my way. That's the real reason I write. It's so damn satisfying. You should try it sometime.

    Nearly every week or so someone writes to me and says they WISH they could come up with stories. They WISH they could write. Oh, they like to try and make me feel so gifted and talented by pouring compliments at me. If they only knew - - I will say I have a way with words; I always have, but I am not any more talented or gifted than most people when it comes to writing. I just write. It's sort of like Rod Stewart singing. He's not the best by any stretch of the imagination, but he did it. He sang. If you get out on that stage and perform, you're a performer. Boom! 

    So, to conclude -- write. Write until you can't think of anything else to write, then let the characters discuss the last thing you wrote to see if they can come up with anything worth changing or adding to whatever it was you wrote. That's been my go-to and it's worked well in the past...and the present.

Photo Credit: Me. This is the cover of the next Nick Posh book. 

    

    

Home Owners Associations...My POV

 Everyone has their own point of view about this or that, and I am no different. I have a very distinct opinion on homeowner associations because I've been on both sides of that issue. I've owned a home in one, and I've owned homes that are not in them. Let me just say, I prefer them. It's a matter of neatness, not necessarily uniformity. Can they go too far? Yes, absolutely, and that's when the homeowners form an alliance to either sue the HOA to force them to change or move and find one that better suits their needs.

    I understand that not everyone can adjust to the often stringent requirements set out by some of the HOAs that exist. To be honest, there are some that step way over the proverbial lines, and they do impose their way onto the people who spent their personal hard-earned cash on a home that happens to be inside that particular HOA. BUT..and this is a  HUGE one; the homeowner, or would-be owner, knew the rules before deciding to live in that HOA. I don't ever remember hearing of an HOA that cropped up after a neighborhood was established. I could be wrong.

    The most annoying rule that I ever ran across was that no flag could be flown on or around the outside of the house, and that included the American flag. We got away with it by forcing them to recognize the First Amendment, but it wasn't easy to do. Their reasoning was to keep down banners for rivaling teams, states, and countries, and to not cause an issue. I understand that, but no one will ever tell me I can't fly Old Glory. That won't happen. They allowed it as long as it was attached to the house or gate and was no bigger than 15" or something like that. I'm OK with a compromise. I kept my OU flag inside the house and hung my "Blue Star Mom" flag in a window.

    Most of the time, HOAs are there to keep the lawns straightened, cut, and cleaned. They are not there to lord over people, or to make them feel uncomfortable. Often times the units will have a similar look, so they want to maintain that for aesthetics as well as for maintaining the valuation of a home. Property values will decrease if a wayward neighbor has painted their garage a bright pink and their house trim a mustard yellow; or if they have 6 cars in the drive, two that are jacked up on concrete blocks, uncut grass, and vines that look like the Amazon rainforest in their front and back yards. Face it, when someone next door to you has a broken panel in their window, a few slats of wood missing from their fence, and plays their music 24/7 from a loud boom box, it's good to know there are rules and guidelines you could have imposed if you were in an HOA.

    Another reason, and perhaps the #1 reason I like living in an HOA is the fact that my fees literally pay for the insurance of my home from the studs out to the air. All contents and even the drywall are my responsibility, and they do have insurance for condos for that reason, but they have to pay for any hail, wind, fire, water, or vandalism damage that takes place outside the house and the roof. That alone is usually 70% of the fee. The rest (in most cases) pay for things like water, sewer, garbage pick up, and lawn maintenance. If there is a pool it pays for that. If there is security patrol or cameras being monitored, it pays for that. I'm good.

    If I had to pay $2100 a year for insurance but could save 70% that's a $14,700 savings, and the rest is about what I would end up paying for renters or condo insurance. Now, why would I say I save 70% of the $2100 if I pay the HOA fee? Why not the whole thing? Because it's only from the studs out - - I'm still responsible for the contents, the drywall, any specialty tile, carpet, etc.  I may have to pay $600 a year for that. My water/sewer bill would have been $60, my garbage would have been about the same, and to have someone maintain the lawns, pool, security, and cameras for that little money...yeah, I'm good. I know I've said that, but I am...I am OK with paying $220-250 a month knowing my exterior insurance is paid, my lawn will be cut, my house is watched, my water and garbage are paid, and I have a nice pool to use in the summer.

    Some HOAs do not have pools, security, or cameras, and some don't pay for water. You'll need to know your association to see what they cover.  If it's too much, don't live there. If they raise it, it's likely because it happens...inflation happens. Why people continue to complain about inflation is beyond me. We're not going to change it, it is going to happen. We need to just move forward; if at all possible. I know it's a hassle, it's terrible, but it really is JUST a first-world issue, and thank God, you live in the first-world right now. It could be so much worse. Look, I'm writing about the woes and cons of homeowner associations, not about bombs, insurgency, or war. There's a reason we are called blessed.

    Since I'm being so kind and sweet to the HOAs, I'll go ahead and talk a bit about the two times (besides the flag thing) that I had to complain about and felt that I had a right to do so.  When I moved into a condo as a renter, not a buyer, I was told I could have my two dogs and my two cats. The owner of the unit paid the fees and he never mentioned my animals to the HOA. I got a letter asking me to find homes for two of my pets, and I declined to do so. They fined the owner, and then he asked me to do the same, and I told him no. I had them when I went under lease. I was not renewed for the lease, as you can imagine, but it was a problem. I wouldn't have moved there in the first place if I had been told the rules. 

    The 2nd time was when my son had returned from Iraq and needed to blow off a lot of steam!  He had a big tractor tire that he bought and then brought to my place because it had a bit of a slope leading up from the road to my driveway. He and his Army buddy were rolling and flipping the tire over and over and we were reported to the HOA by a nosy neighbor.  I asked my son to put on his uniform, (not the fancy one) and when he did, NO ONE COMPLAINED...well, he complained, because it was really hot.  After the third time of wearing his camo, he took them off and went back to his shorts and tank.  Again, no one complained, in fact, several neighbors came by to either thank him or to watch him.

    HOAs are not the big bad wolf or the Lords that some think they are. They are there to keep peace, regulate, and be sure that nothing gets too far out of hand. If we had been asked to stop rolling the tire, we would have stopped. On that particular HOA, we were located (or situated) on the 10th hole of a great golf course in Indiana. We were not allowed to walk the golf course unless we were members, but we did anyway. I think we were reported twice; nothing happened. They just asked us to not make noise, not to approach golfers, that sort of thing. We adhered. It's not as if we were banned, fined, or cast out.  Most of these places have reason; they use reason. 

    All this being said, I am sure there are some horror stories out there about HOAs and how they completely restrict you from doing what you want to do. This is Halloween and one of the HOA rules in a neighboring association, not ours, is that kids from the association can trick-or-treat, but not others. They literally pass out passes to wear on their costumes. That's a bit too much, I would have to have something to say about something like that, but the underlying reasoning is valid. It is a more uppity posh hood and they don't want it to be trashed. During the Pandemic they even shut the gates and had a sign that read "No Trick-or-Treating is to be done in the HOA due to health reasons". (That was 2022!! A year after 90% of the lifts.)

    There you have it, my opinion. I would rather be in an HOA that was respectful and flexible than to be in one that is not, or to not be in one. It just makes sense to me. Whether or not it makes sense to you is a you-thing. You decide. Have a bright and cheery experience or go home...well, you know, move your home. 

Photo Credit: SimpleShowing.com

    

    

Pinterest and Menu Making

 I learned about Pinterest in 2014.  I was flat amazed. I can't even tell you how my brain took in all the information. To think that I could just go to one place, just one site, and put in literally anything possible and it would show up, was just out of this world crazy. Naturally, because I like to cook and eat food, I started there. I put in the words "chocolate" and "cake" and when 1498 different cakes popped up with 40,891 ways to make them; you know I was hooked. 

    Since that day I have literally used Pinterest to look up and to look at just about everything under the Sun. I use it very often for my menu planning, which assists with my grocery lists, and because I'm really frugal and like to do things as inexpensively as possible, but still get good quality, I love the suggestions I find on Pinterest.  I absolutely cannot overstate how very useful this site is for planning your weekly meals.

    What I've taken to doing now, after years of choosing relatively similar recipes over and over again, is to literally copy the recipes onto 3x5 cards, and yes, I am laminating them. I'm such a dork, but I don't mind being one. I know that I'll have my little cards separated in their box by categories such as: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and then subcategories such as: Chicken, Beef, Fish, Other Meats, and Vegetable dishes. Then I'll have the side dishes, which may or may not be separated by colors: greens, whites, yellows, etc. I'll probably do: corn, rice, potato, leafy, and other.

    For desserts, of course, I'll do: cakes, cookies, pastries, candies, and others. God knows I'm going to find just as many of those to do as I do entrees. I don't use sugar, I cook with monk fruit, so I can have just about as many desserts as I dang well, please. I like that fact. I cook as if I was pre-diabetic (even though I am not) so that I never become diabetic; which I know is not the only factor, but it's a big one. I was just seen by my doctor who confirmed that I'm not pre-diabetic, but she did commend me for my eating habits, so I was pretty happy about that. 

    Pinterest helps me to choose different foods, types of dishes, colors, textures, and even flavors. I decided at the beginning of the week to not have the same things over and over again. I don't like getting into ruts. It's not fun, and Pinterest is free. I like it. I think making the little cards will help me to stay on track calorie-wise, portion-wise, and really just all-around-wise. It's a good thing. What I do is write out all the things I'm going to have that week, and then I make a grocery list using only the things I need. This helps me to not buy things I'll end up throwing out.

    I will say that I often buy things that I end up throwing out. That's been my problem for years. If there is one thing that Pinterest has helped me to do, it's to stay focused at the store, and therefore at home. I don't have that much waste, and what I end up putting in the fridge for the next meal (say lunch the next day) is generally a smaller portion than I would eat if I went to a restaurant. This helps me to lose weight, maintain weight, etc. It's a great plan - - and I'm really super happy it's working for me. I would say I hope it works for you too, but I don't know if I'll ever find out if you try it!! If you try it, I hope it works out for you too!!

    Sunday's pork roast with carrots, potatoes, and onions will be cooked in broth and apple juice. That's really cool and different. I'll have a green side salad with feta cheese and vinaigrette dressing, and for dessert, I'm making cherry tarts.  For breakfast this Saturday I'm making a tater-tot sausage casserole and we'll have a cup of coffee and a glass of cranberry juice (juiced in the juicer with apple juice). So good. When you buy cranberries in the bag and you juice them, you can then use the silt that comes off of them to make bran muffins! OMG...it just goes on and on. 

    Well, that's about it, it's my fun, but I will always share my thoughts. No extra charge!! You deserve the best!!

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Plan C...Because I Have One.

 From about February to April, just a couple of months, I worked for an idiot who thought he could both control me and try and get me to do unethical things such as not helping those who weren't "like us".  It didn't take me long to figure this guy out. I had a plan though; if I quit I wouldn't get unemployment. If I got unemployment, I could stay home, apply for great jobs, or even train for an even better job. That's what I did. I managed to piss the man off enough that he fired me. Then, because I could, I added his image and personality (as well as most of his actual name) to my next murder novel. He was killed, fileted, and fed to pigs; how's that for getting back at the boss without actually doing any physical harm? I can't be arrested for it!! 

    Plan A was to stay on unemployment the entire five months, train to become a Claims Adjuster, and by the end of the five months, hurricane season would be upon us. I would use my new skills to obtain a great entry-level position and make much more money than I did working for that man anyway. Claims Adjusters make really good money. If you didn't know, maybe you should look into it. HOWEVER, that all being said, it wasn't as easily done as it was easily said (or thought). I did actually get all of my licenses. I am an actual Claims Adjuster, but I'm not employed yet, and it's been six months.

    With my unemployment gone, I have to find actual work now, and the hurricane season in the USA didn't exactly amount to much. Most claims positions are for those who have experience. A newbie like me only gets hired during catastrophic events; this is sad, but it's true. We rarely ever get picked up without having at least a year's experience. How is someone supposed to get that experience? They get hired by a company such as State Farm, Progressive, Allstate, and others, and they train them, and use them as backups, giving them experience during fast and furious times. A person can work 12-hour shifts 7 days a week, but make bank doing it. Some people make $500 or more a day. Good money, right? If you can get hired.

    I went through the Pilot Auto Academy to learn how to estimate cars. I took the State Farm certification tests, and I paid to be licensed in nine other states other than my home state. I was told if I did that, I would be a shoo-in - - IF there was a big enough storm to warrant hiring me. I was literally (and still am) on over 20 storm rosters, just waiting to be hired by Eberl, Pilot, American Family, CNC, Crawford, Allcat, Renfroe, and others. NO ONE HIRED ME.

    Well, OK, it's time to think it over and do the next best thing; Plan B.  Instead of learning just how to estimate cars, I decided to learn how to also estimate property. This means houses, buildings, interiors, and exteriors of these and others, and it is a pay hike as well. If I can go into the field I can make even more. Some of these field adjusters pull in over $200,000.00 a year. I didn't see that happening, but the average person pulls in $80,000.00 a year, and that's not bad.  Plan B it was. I am now learning Xactimate, the software one needs to be a successful property estimator.

    The problem is, no one wants to HELP YOU do that. You have to do it all on your own, and once you do that, take the certifications, and get your own Xactimate subscription, suddenly they come out of the woodwork to offer you meager and low wages that a person who didn't have the training may be interested in. No, thank you. I've decided on Plan C.  MY PLAN...MY WAY...and they can either pay me what I demand or not, I really don't care.

    I'm going to go back to work for the State, but I'm not telling anyone which department I'll be working in because I don't need or want the hassles. I'll say this, I am an investigator. I've been an investigator for years, and they appreciated me right up to the time the director wanted me to be unethical. I refused, and he fired me. That was in 2016.  This was a complete guy, but he fired me for the same thing - - I didn't have to murder him in one of my novels, but I may later. God decided to take the man home, and those who worked in that agency remembered me from years back, and they called me to see if I could come back and work with them. THEY appreciated my honesty. THEY appreciated my ethical manners. I accepted.

    So, Plan C.  I will work for the State. I will receive adequate pay. I will receive good if not great insurance benefits, and I will be working primarily from home in my jammies. I will have to do some face-to-face interviews, so I'll throw on clothes at that point. For the most part, I'll work 8-5 Monday through Friday, and do the claims stuff on the side; after hours, on weekends, etc. Believe me when I say once I've got the training down I'll be 100% ready to do 3-5 claims a week and charge $200 each time. If the clients don't want to pay that, they can find another estimator. That's the best thing about working on your own and NOT needing their money.

    The State job won't start until around 11/6 so I can both study Xactimate, take the certification exams, and be ready to go.  I can possibly crank out another novel! Ha! You just never know...maybe it will be about those employers who think they can hang people over the cliff, dangling them with promises of being hired, all the while talking in their Zoom meetings about how many people they ghosted! IF that were the case, you can bet the "hero" of my book will find a few pigs, sharpen his or her blades, and spell their names correctly in his/her little black book - - which could be paisley if he or she wanted it to be.  Just sayin'.

    

Photo Credit: Treehugger.com

    

The Kitchen Junk Drawer. (or both of them)

 Almost every house has one. I have two. I know, I know, I'm one of those overachievers, it's true. I have two kitchen junk drawers. I put more "useful" junk in one of the drawers and less useful things in another. I have no idea how I actually choose to separate them, except that when I first put the item into one of the two drawers, I must make some sort of mental decision about whether I'll use it again, when I may use, it or if it just isn't bad enough to throw out...yet.

    I'm planning my exit strategy a bit early, and in doing so I'm taking notes as to what I will take with me when I move. I will likely not take much of anything from the junk drawers because my daughter will need whatever is in them when I do leave. I say that I have no idea what she'll need. What I have done is go to Pinterest and see what the experts (if there are junk drawer experts) say about organizing the messy chaos so that I can either narrow my needs down, throw out what I don't really need, or maybe just .... God forbid, do away with having a junk drawer; but I'm not sure that's even possible. 

    My new place will be so well organized that people will think I'm actually OCD. I'm not, but my place will be neat.  I'm buying literally everything the Pinterest gurus say I need. I'm excited about it. I'm getting drawer spacers, cabinet dividers, modules to put things on, space-saving wire things to hang things on, and I'm just too excited about it. I have about 50 food containers and I'm taking them with me. I'll need more baskets...I love little kitchen storage baskets.  

    I found a few things to help me organize my refrigerator too; a ziplock storage holder! WHAT? Yes, it's true.  One thing I saw that will save space in the freezer, is to put your meat into ziplock-type bags, flatten the meat, then stack them. Boom! I will likely only have 4 mugs, 4 plates, 4 saucers, and cutlery for 4. I'll likely have only a few kitchen towels, mitts, etc., as well, since it's just me. I'll have a washing machine, I can wash the towels. I'll even probably just do my own dishes....just sayin'.

    I looked into my first kitchen drawer and made a list of several things I have. We all have these things in our junk drawers. Pens, pencils, Sharpies, tape, wrapping ribbon, twine, scissors, a tape measure, pencil sharpener, nail file, batteries, measuring tape, bookmarker, watch, chain, flash drive, cards, dice, sewing kit, highlighters, wire, glue, a ruler, a lighter or two, and some other stuff. You get the picture. In the OTHER drawer, the one I say has the useful things, I have screws, tools, a hammer, more scissors, more glue, a corkscrew, electric hand blender blades, a small socket set, and a knife sharpener...and other stuff.

    I know you can relate. I bet as you were reading that you added to the list, and you thought "Yep, that's me" a few times. I don't have a spool of thread; my friend pointed that out to me. I don't have a pocket knife either. I've decided to get a little toolbox when I move and keep a small set of tools in it.  I'll get one drawer organizer and put the junk stuff in it, but I'll use the toolbox for the other. It will be kept in the garage or under the sink. Good plan.  I'm making plans for a house I'll buy in about six months. My plans have plans. My notes have notes.

    I've also been Pinteresting things today to see if they work. I put baking soda and peroxide on my old baking pan for 15 minutes and nothing happened. I'll add vinegar to it tonight and let it soak overnight to see if it does any better. I hope it does. I mean, I could also go out and buy new pans. It's OK...I can do that. I just haven't in something like 20+ years, that's all. I did recently break my 25-year-old crockpot liner, the crock bowl part...shattered into about 12 pieces when I was washing it. All three of my kids have volunteered to buy me a new one for my birthday. You gotta love kids who know you THAT well.

    My birthday is in about four weeks. I'll let them decide who will buy what. I need: 

• Crockpot
• Over the sink dish rack
• Drawer organizers for spices, junk drawer, cutlery
• Pantry baskets
• Refrigerator organizers
• New journals 

My kids are the best...the BEST....I would never ever trade them or sell them. I like them very much. Well, that's about it. Just making plans to make plans. Someone has to; those drawers are not going to organize themselves.

Photo Credit: It's a Southern Thing.

    

    

My Blood Work.

 I'm titling this blog "My Blood Work" because it is the journey I took, and the results I received, as opposed to anyone else.  I really hate it when I blog and then those who feel that they need to correct everyone send me emails saying that I'm wrong because...and they try to explain to me why it is that my personal experience isn't what should have happened. Don't bother, I delete negative feedback. Sorry, if that seems harsh, it's not meant to be. I just don't have time for nonsense.  What happens to me happens, whether or not it fits into their bubble or box.

    I hadn't had my blood work done officially or professionally since I had my last baby, which was in 1990. (Geez, she's really old, huh?) I have gone to the hospital for surgery, and you'd think they'd run tests at that time, but they didn't. They only took blood to see if I had any infections I think.  I think they may have asked me if I was pregnant, but that would have only caused me to laugh and I was in such pain over my gall bladder, that I think they must have refrained from asking such things.

    So, last week, because I could, (and this is hilarious because I've had insurance in the past) I decided to do the whole full panel blood work thing, which also included a physical and a urine test. I opted out of the pap and mamo, I'll do that another time. I wanted to do the bloodwork because I'm about to turn 62 and hadn't ever had my cholesterol checked. I have heavy-set friends, thin friends, and average friends (and family) all saying they think I should have my numbers run to see where I am. People think if you have high cholesterol you must be overweight. This is so not true.

    My good friend who can be called "thin" if not thinner still, has extreme issues with her cholesterol. My good friend who is quite heavy does as well, but you can't go around saying that all heavy people have higher cholesterol. It's just not true. Since I hadn't had it done I thought I'd go ahead and do it. It can't hurt anything, and in fact, it can only help. If I found out my numbers were off I would know what to do to make them go back into place.  Well, here's what they found.

    My "Total" was 202.  It's supposed to be under 200, so I'm right there. Slightly over. I'll work on that.  My "good", or HDL number was 49 and it should be 50 or higher. Again, I'll work on that. My "bad", or LDL number was 140, and that's the one that needs the most work. The better levels are at 100 or lower. That's where I have to really see a difference, but it wasn't in the "danger" zone, and barely showing up in the "risk" zone. At my age, it's normal, but I prefer it to be lower if it's supposed to be lower.  They did tell me I was overweight, and I knew that. Since about January of this year, I've been adding weight; it could be because I wasn't doing as much exercise, and it could be because I've written four books since then, and spend too much time sitting down.

    Plan of action? Sure. What I found to be really interesting was the diet plan I was given is the diet plan I am currently on now. In fact, they told me to eat more beans and I'm literally cooking them for lunch now!  (Hint: soak them 48 hours before cooking them 15 hours on low in the crock pot.) I will admit that I've not been as straightforward with it as I should be, but nothing too crazy. I need to cut out the fattier meats, add more fiber, and take a Vitamin D supplement. I already use psyllium husk, but not as regularly as I did before the first of the year. I also have increased my bacon intake since January, and that's probably not the best thing. I can do turkey bacon, I'm good. Again, there was nothing too severe going on, but it was funny when I saw the diet and thought to myself, "OK, this is what I buy now, I guess I'll just stop eating bacon, maybe take the hazel nuts out of my trail mix, and walk another 1/2 mile every day."  

    I will be 100% honest. I stopped the exercise program I had last year only because I was writing. I can pick that up again. I need to lose the same 30 pounds I had to lose before, and if I can get a grip on that I can all but guarantee the numbers will fall into place. Still, I'm pretty happy with the overall results. I do drink about 100 ounces of water, lemon water, and/or cucumber water every day, so I'm pretty flushed out; this is good. My Vitamin C levels were excellent. Woot!!  I watch a lot of Perry Mason, so I guess I can exercise during that, and I can walk around the complex again. My dog will be happy - - I think. She's only good for about a mile, then she putz out on me. Damn dog.

    The bottom line is if you think you need to get your bloodwork done, do that. My heart rate was actually higher than it normally is, but I had just walked up a couple of flights of stairs and watched a few videos on the Israeli war. I can stop doing that too; not the stairs thing, that's a good thing. I normally hoover around 110/80 or 120/80 at the most, and it was 140/74, so I need to meditate more...walk the stairs instead of running them, and limit my intake of the catastrophes that are taking place around us. Good plan....good.

Photo Credit: Me.

    

    

    

    

    

Book 10! PUBLISHED!! WOOT!!

 OK, so when you see the photo at the bottom of the page you're going to count the books and say, "There's only 8 books", however, there are two books that I've written that I don't have published through Ingram Spark. One of them, "With a Little Faith" may never be published again. It was a book I wrote, (my first, in fact) as a means of getting my emotions out of my body and head. It was therapeutic at best, and after this long, I can say that it may be, or could be considered an "ex-husband bashing" book. That being said, I didn't write 1/10 of what actually happened in my marriage to that man, so I could have been so so so so very much worse than I was. Just sayin'. I stand by what I wrote in the book, it's just that it may not be the best representation of what I should have done. I pulled the book; I may rewrite it, but I doubt I will.

    The other book, "Faith Alone, Stories of an Amazing Dog" was written as a chapter-type book for kids to read one chapter at a time. It has been translated into a few languages. Many teachers have this book in their classes and they use various chapters for examples of how a person could and should learn life lessons from a little yellow dog.  She's a rock star. It's not with Ingram, I don't need it to be at this time. If someone buys it, they buy it. I don't promote it. I promote the other eight books that are with Ingram Spark.

    My first book with Ingram Spark was "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book" (The first one) I wrote it using Palmetto as a publisher, and they used Ingram Spark for print and publishing. I assume Palmetto still gets money when the book is sold, I have no idea. I would prefer it to go to Ingram Spark. I use them exclusively at this point. My next books were "Of Kilted Pleasure", my first romance novel, and "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book 2".  "Of Kilted Pleasure" was published through Xlibris as well, but I took it back. I paid something close to $1500 for that book to be published, and they screwed it up. All of my books have errors in them, and most of the errors are not my fault, but I can't really change them without a huge hassle or having to dole out more cash! I'm not willing to do so, I hope people don't mind me being human.

    After I realized that I didn't have to pay anyone to write, format, edit, upload, or design my book and cover, I wrote more books. I've always had these books in my head, but because it costs so much to publish when you go through a publisher, I was limited as to what I could do. Now, because I know it's free, I'll be writing a lot more. I'll publish a lot more. This is a good thing. I'm a really happy person.

    Ingram Spark is hard to work with in some ways, I'm not going to lie about that. They don't call you, they email only, and they don't always answer your questions, so you have to email two or three times to get the right answer. Sometimes that takes days and it really delays things.  I hate it, but it is free. I have to remind myself of that fact.  Also, they make a mistake and it takes weeks to fix, such as uploading my file and saying it has -1 pages. I can't get the book processed until it is correctly paginated, but I can't do that until they release it, and it's a mess. It happened twice, two separate times, and I was forced to wait three weeks on one, and four weeks on the other.

    With Ingram Sparks, I have 8 books published and ready on Amazon in about a week's time. Two are romance books, two are murder books, two are blog books, and one is a biography while the other is a poetry book. I'll say this, I'm pretty happy about it. I don't like that one of my romance books, Edinburgh, is a 5x8 rather than a 6x9 book, but again, it was something I did, not them. I didn't want to mess it up further by trying to redo the PDF. It also has 2 random blank pages in it; both follow the end of a chapter, but it is upsetting that it's a full blank page and I can't remove it. I mean, I may figure out how to do it, but I don't want to mess up the interior.

    We live, we learn. If the books get to the point that they are selling like hotcakes I'll have it corrected, or maybe I'll just say I did it on purpose so people had a place to write notes....lol.

Photo Credit: ME.